Writing's On The Wall, the theme song for the upcoming James Bond movie Spectre, was released on Friday, with fans of its singer Sam Smith hailing it as an instant classic – though others were less complimentary. The song comes ahead of the global release of the film, once again starring Daniel Craig as 007, on November 6. Bond legend Roger Moore praised Smith on Twitter, but some critics commented disparagingly on Smith's prior claim that the song had taken him only 20 minutes to write. Grammy award-winner Smith is the first British male solo singer to sing a Bond theme since Tom Jones sang Thunderball in 1965. – AFP
Pope to release rock album
Pope Francis has been described as a rock star among religious leaders – and soon that will be true, literally, after announcing plans to release a rock album. The 78-year-old pontiff revealed he will be the lead vocalist on Wake Up!, a multilingual album featuring prayers and speeches from the Argentine-born pope, set to newly composed music. It will be released on November 27. While the rock approach is non-traditional, successive popes have recorded albums based on their words, often combined with chants or other devotional music. – AFP
Sharda excited to work with Rhys Meyers
Actress Pallavi Sharda, of Besharam fame, says she is happy to be teaming up with Bend It Like Beckham star Jonathan Rhys Meyers in an international project titled Shambhala. "He's a big Hollywood actor, so for me, he's like the biggest co-star that I've had," she said. Shooting is expected to begin soon in Manali, with Australian director Summer Nicks reportedly helming the project. Bollywood action star Akshay Kumar has also been linked to the project. – IANS
Country legend Kenny Rogers plans to retire
Country-music legend Kenny Rogers has announced that he will retire after a final tour, saying he felt "selfish" spending so much time away from his family. The 77-year-old singer, best known for hits Lady and The Gambler, says he hopes to travel with his young sons. "I'm going to do a big worldwide tour and it's going to be my last," Rogers told US TV network NBC's Today show, without revealing the dates. Rogers, who has been married five times, has twin 11-year-old sons. He said he would also release an album of Christmas songs this year. – AFP
Claire Danes gets Walk of Fame star
Actress Claire Danes, star of the TV drama Homeland, received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Thursday. "This is really cool," Danes, who plays CIA officer Carrie Mathison on the show, said during a brief ceremony. The 36-year-old rose to stardom in the 1990s as the teen star of TV show My So-Called Life, and hit the big screen with films such as Romeo + Juliet and The Hours. – AFP
France willing to pay €80m for painting
France said on Thursday it was willing to pay €80 million (Dh329m) to acquire one of the two Rembrandt paintings on sale from the Rothschild family for the Louvre museum. The two full-length portraits of a young couple, painted shortly before their wedding in 1634, have been owned by the wealthy banking family since the mid-19th century, and have rarely been seen in public. Culture minister Fleur Pellerin said the offer had been submitted and would be “exceptionally financed by the Bank of France”. However, there is competition – the Netherlands is hoping to buy both artworks, with the government footing half of the €160m bill, while the Rijksmuseum would raise the rest. – AFP
Cast of Jolie Pitt’s Cambodia film to be entirely local
Angelina Jolie has been in scouting locations in Cambodia for her next film, First They Killed My Father, which she is casting entirely with local talent. On Thursday, Jolie said she had spent the last week doing research to ensure the movie, about the deadly Khmer Rouge regime, is "accurate and faithful" to the 1970s events, before beginning shooting in Cambodia in November. Her 14-year-old Cambodia-born son, Maddox, is heavily involved in the movie, which is planned for release by Netflix late next year. Jolie Pitt's upcoming film, By the Sea, in which she co-stars with Brad Pitt, will be released November 13. – AP
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Mission%3A%20Impossible%20-%20Dead%20Reckoning%20Part%20One
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Christopher%20McQuarrie%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tom%20Cruise%2C%20Hayley%20Atwell%2C%20Pom%20Klementieff%2C%20Simon%20Pegg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Valencia v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Mallorca v Alaves (4pm)
Barcelona v Getafe (7pm)
Villarreal v Levante (9.30pm)
Sunday
Granada v Real Volladolid (midnight)
Sevilla v Espanyol (3pm)
Leganes v Real Betis (5pm)
Eibar v Real Sociedad (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (midnight)
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
Scoreline
Man Utd 2 Pogba 27', Martial 49'
Everton 1 Sigurdsson 77'
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
